As a result of strong resistance on the part of Poland and Hungary, no conclusions on migration were adopted at the European Council meeting that ended today.
In early June, the Council of EU Interior Ministers adopted a resolution on the proposed migrant quota. The proposal aimed to establish a mandatory migrant distribution mechanism without an upper limit and impose financial penalties on member states that refuse to accept migrants. Since then, on Thursday, the heads of state and government of the European Union gathered for the first time to make decisions regarding migration. The original proposal of the Commission would have simply welcomed the decision of the Council of EU Interior Ministers, disregarding the fact that it was made despite the strong objections of Hungary and Poland, bypassing the usual unanimous decision-making process in this policy area.
As Hungarian Conservative reported, Viktor Orbán discussed the mood and issues raised at the summit in a Friday morning radio interview.
The leaders of Hungary and Poland stood their ground in Thursday, and made it clear at the meeting of heads of state and government that either the EU Council publicly supports the principle that decisions regarding migration must be made unanimously, or they will not allow any joint statement to be adopted on migration policy. Several governments threatened by anti-immigration or domestically anti-immigration right-wing opposition parties, including Italy, Austria, Finland, Denmark, and Sweden, sought to present the proposal, which does not include an upper limit and clearly enhances the attractiveness of immigration to the EU.
This intention was ultimately hindered by the Hungarian-Polish cooperation. The mediation of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who supported the pact for the temporary relief of Italian refugee camps, and negotiations with the major member states failed to convince Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who eventually
prevented the western centre-right governments from presenting the migrant quota proposal as a huge step forward in the European election campaign.
It is expected that Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, will issue a statement on his own behalf regarding the matter, and the debate on the migrant quota will continue. The European Council will not be able to provide political support for any migration pact until they commit to unanimous decision-making regarding migration.
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